Loose material feeder



Jan. 1, 1963 K. D. SCHREYER ETAL LOOSE MATERIAL FEEDER Filed Sept. 25, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheei 1 zzvmvrozas mwzru o. SCHREYEP g y/news .1. MAN/VEY @1 M,Md

Jan. 1, 1963 K. D. SCHREYER ETAL LOOSE MATERIAL FEEDER Filed Sept. 23. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS KENNETH o. SLHREYEI? f c/mnss J. mun/Ev Jan. 1, 1963 K. D. SCHREYER ETAL LOOSE MATERIAL FEEDER Filed; Sept. 23, 1.960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS KENNETH a. scmzvsn a g-muss J. mmvsv Jan. 1, 1963 K. D. SCHREYER ET AL LOOSE MATERIAL FEEDER Filed Sept. 25, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORs xsuusru u. same-v52 f (mass .1. muusv Jan. 1, 1963 K. D. SCHREYER ETAL LOOSE MATERIAL FEEDER Filed Sept. 23, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mmvroxs xemvsru o. SCHREYEI? g g/mus u. MANNEY @m,wczwa @m United States Patent 3,071,238 Patented Jan. 1, 1963 Office 3,071,238 LOOSE MATERIAL FEEDER Kenneth D. Schreyer, Eggertsville, and Charles J. Manney, Kenmore, N.Y., assignors to Columbus McKinnon Corporation, Tonawanda, N.Y.

Filed Sept. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 58,019 Claims. (Cl. 198-472) This invention relates to machinery of the type known as feeders adapted to receive batch loads, such as of mined coal, ore, rock, or other lump or granular materials. More particularly the invention relates to feeders receiving batch loads from shuttle cars or the like to deliver the material at reduced but uniform rates such as to mine panel conveyors, elevators, or other handling equipment. Specifically the present invention relates to improvements in feeders such as disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 743,863, filed June 23, 1958.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide in a machine as aforesaid, in combination, a novel arrangement of a scraper conveyor and an improved load levelling device whereby the machine will be adapted to receive successive loadings from batch conveyances or the like at the maximum rates of discharge thereof so as to quickly release such conveyances for return trips, while operating with improved facility to integrate the feed material into a delivery flow at reduced uniform rate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel feeder machine as aforesaid which is particularly suited for use under low head room conditions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specifications hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a feeder embodying a load leveller of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 but of a modified form of load leveller device;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of an alternative form of load leveller device; and

FIGS. 4, 5, 6, are perspective views of machines embodying still other forms of load leveller devices.

The present invention contemplates generally a feeder for coal or the like which comprises a bed plate traversed by a scraper conveyor moving from the intake end toward the discharge end of the plate. Hence, batch loads of feed material may be intermittently dumped upon the intake end of the bed plate whereupon it is delivered to the discharge end of the machine. Thus, the machine is adapted to receive either constant or intermittent feed supplies while delivering the material to the receiver which may comprise an elevator or mine panel conveyor belt, or the like.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing herewith, the feeder may be constructed to comprise a keel portion designated comprising side rails l2-l2 and an upper bed plate 14. This base structure is of rectangular form in plan view; and the top plate 12 may be longitudinally slotted as indicated at 15-15 to accommodate the desired number of conveyor drive components, consisting in the example illustrated of two drive chains 16, 18, training around pocket wheels 2ti20 carried by shafts 21 at opposite ends of the machine. Thus, the slots 15- 15 accommodate in free-sliding relation therein lugs (not shown) extending from a series of scraper conveyor flights 22, which are thus carried in spaced relation on the endless link chains 16, 18. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the chains 15 may simply ride on the top of the bed plate 14. One of the shafts 21 will of course be powerdriven to cause the chains to pull the flights 22 along the top plate 14, as in conventional scraper conveyor practice.

As'illustrated herein, sheet metal hopper sides 26, 26 are provided at opposite sides of the feed receiving end of the machine, to retain the coal or other feed material in gravity-feeding relation to the scraper conveyor components. At the discharge end of the machine a pair of substantially vertically standing side boards 2828 are provided to meter the discharge flow of material from the feeder at the desired rate. Intermediately of the main hopper and meter board portions of the conveyor are provided opposed throttling boards 29-429 joining the meter boards 28-28 at the so-called choke station of the machine.

It is a particular feature of the machine of the invention that a load flow control and levelling plate of novel form is provided, as indicated generally at 31 in FIG. 1 of the drawing. As shown herein, this levelling plate may be fabricated in the form of a flat metal strip disposed horizontally and lengthwise of the machine and having a mounting tongue portion 32 extending from one end thereof. In plan view the flow control plate 3% is dimensioned to extend from about the position of the choke station towards the intake end of the machine and along the center line thereof, to a point about midway between the choke station and the intake end of the machine; the control plate portion 30 being dimensioned to cover a substantial portion of the width of the conveyor flights in that area. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the tongue 32 of the control plate covers only a small portion of the conveyor width and provides means for anchoring the plate 30 in position as by connection at 34 to a cross bar 36, whereby the plate 30 lies on top of the scraper flights as they drag along therebelow. Thus, the control plate 30 is mounted to extend in cantilever beam relation to avoid interference with movement of the conveyor flights, while throughout its length the control plate overlaps the conveyor flights and thus operates to hold them down against the bed plate, thereby preventing them from jumping out of normal scraper-conveying positions. To stifien the cantilever beam mounting effect and to enhance gravity-flow of material into the conveyor flights, the control plate may be sectionally angled as indicated at 40 in FIG. 2. Also, a rear hopper panel may be added as shown at 42 (FIG. 2). In FIG. 3 still another alternate sectional form for the control plate is illustrated at 44.

In operation, the flow control plate of the invention acts to modify the driving power of the conveyor flights in relation to the load in the longitudinally central portion of the machine, and reduces the tendency of the flights at this section of the machine to build up the height of the material load in the region just ahead of the choke station. Thus, overloading of the machine in this area is prevented, such as would otherwise build up the material load to overrun the hopper walls in this area. In lieu thereof the control plate of the invention functions to decrease the effective grip of the scraper conveyor flights upon the total traveling load mass in the region just ahead of the choke station, and thereby functions to avoid overloadings of the machine in that area and levels out the flow of material to the discharge end of the machine.

It will be appreciated that the flow control plate of the invention may also be employed to control the height of the material load entering the discharge chute portion of the machine, and thereby the discharge rate of the machine. Thus, the flow control plate may be designed and dimensioned so as to provide a prescribed control of the machine discharge rate, in lieu of the conventional technique of controlling the discharge rate. by regulating the speed of the conveyor motion. Thus, the present invention provides means for obtaining a novel material flow levelling and discharge rate control in feeders of the type referred to herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modified form of the flow control device of the invention, such as may be adapted for example for use in connection with relatively wide feeder machines. In this case the flow control means is of plural hood form as illustrated for example at 5d5t). The hoods 56-50 may, of course, be either flat plates or of ridge-shaped sectional form as illustrated in PEG. 4, and are disposed to extend in parallel spaced relation over the scraper members 22 in the area of the feeder just ahead of the choke station. Thus, any desired modified form of flow control effect may be obtained by appropriate dimensioning of the flow control device parts in relation to the width of the feeder bed and the speed of movement of the scraper conveyor. It will be understood that the flow control devices 59-50 may be supported from a single suspension bar 52 as shown in FIG. 4 or by any suitable equivalent thereof. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the flow control devices 50-50 are supported by separate suspension bars 5252.

FIG. 6 illustrates still another form of flow control device of the present invention wherein the flow control plate means is provided to comprise a pair of spaced apart plates 6d6tl mounted upon opposite sides of the feeder to extend therefrom and partially cover the areas at the sides of the feeder in the region of the discharge run of the conveyor between the metering side boards 626Z. In this case the plates 60-60 are so dimensioned as to leave therebetween a reduced width opening through which the conveyor flights 22 may maintain driving connection with the material being transported. However, the bulk of the material previously being transported through the full width of the feeder ahead of the choke station will be thus driven to slide up upon the top surfaces of the plate 6tl-e0. In this manner, whenever an excess loading of material is advanced by the scrapers into the discharge run of the feeder, the conveyor is thereupon deprived of driving connection with substantial portions of the load, so that momentarily only the center portion of the load continues to be driven to the end of the feeder. In this way surges of material flow are leveled out, and the feeder discharges at a substantially uniform reduced rate as explained hereinabove.

Thus it will be appreciated that whereas only a few specific forms of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A material feeder for receiving batch loadings of material and delivering the same at a substantially uniform rate of discharge, said feeder including a base plate substantially bounded by hopper walls defining a choke station intermediately of the ends of said feeder, a conveyor device extending longitudinally along said base plate to gather the material loadings and to deliver the material at the discharge end of the feeder, and a load flow control device comprising a hood device rigid with said base plate and closely overlying said conveyor device and extending lengthwise of said feeder, said hood device having a maximum width in the region of said choke station which is less than the width of said conveyor device and being of less than said maximum width in other regions of the conveyor device so as to leave the conveyor path at the intake end of said machine substantially uncovered while covering substantial portions of the path of said conveyor device in the region of said choke station.

2. A material feeder for receiving uneven loadings of material and delivering the same at a more uniform rate of discharge, said feeder including a base plate substantially bounded by hopper walls, a conveyor including transverselydisposed conveyor flights at relatively spaced apart positions sliding along said base plate, said flights being arranged on said strands so as to gather the ma terial loadings and to deliver the material at the discharge end of the feeder, and a load flow control device comprising a masking device disposed above said conveyor and extending lengthwise of said feeder, said masking device comprising a plurality of elongate hoods rigid with said base plate and disposed in parallel spaced relation, said hoods being cumulatively of a maximum width in an area between the intake and discharge ends of the feeder which is less than the width of said conveyor and being of less than said maximum width in other regions of said conveyor so as to leave the conveyor path at the intake end of said machine substantially uncovered while covering substantial portions of the path of said conveyor in the area between the intake and discharge ends of said feeder.

3. A material feeder for receiving batch loadings of material and delivering the same at a substantially uniform rate of discharge, said feeder including a base plate substantially bounded by hopper walls, a conveyor device including transversely disposed conveyor flights at relatively spaced apart positions sliding along said base plate, said flights being arranged on said strands so as to gather the material loadings and to deliver the material at the discharge end of the feeder, and a load flow control device comprising a pair of masking plates carried by said hopper side walls and disposed above said conveyor and extending inwardly from said side walls to provide a reduced width opening therebetween along the plan view center line thereof, said masking devices being plan-view shaped so as to leave the conveyor path at the intake end of said machine substantially uncovered while covering substantial portions of the path of said conveyor at the discharge end of said feeder.

4. A material feeder for receiving uneven loadings of material and delivering the material at a more uniform rate of discharge, comprising longitudinally extending material supporting and conveying means, wall means along the sides of said supporting and conveying means and defining therewith a material-receiving body having a material receiving portion and an open discharge end, and means rigid with said wall means and closely overlying said material supporting and conveying means between the material receiving portion and the open discharge end of said body, the last means including mechanism having a width less than the width of said supporting and conveying means to blank off a portion of the cross-sectional extent of said material supporting and conveying means for piling up and deflecting some of the material carried by the supporting and conveying means laterally thereof with the remainder of the material passing to the open discharge end of said body.

5. A particulate material feeder for discharging material at a rate which may be more uniform than the rate at which it may receive material, comprising, in combination,

a base,

an endless conveyor device mounted on said base and movable along a given course to define a materialtransporting swept path having a material receiving end and a material discharge end,

levelling means rigid with said base and closely overlying said endless conveyor device between the material receiving and material discharge ends of said path,

said levelling means having a width less than the width of said path to blank off a portion of the cross-sectional extent of said path between said material re- 5 6 ceiving and material discharge ends of said path for of material at said levelling means has subsided to piling up and deflecting some of the material carried permit such gravity delivery to overcome any lateral by said endless conveyor device laterally of said path deflection of material. along said course with the remainder of the material passing to the discharge end of the path, 5 References tilted in the file of this patent and means along said course and spaced from said path UNITED STATES PATENTS for receiving such laterally deflected material to build 2,543,519 Baechli Feb 27 1951 up a reserve of deflected materlal at an elevation higher than said endless conveyor device for subse- FOREiGN PATENTS quent gravity delivery laterally inwardly to said path 10 413,272 France May 21, 1910 and said endless conveyor device when the piling up 560,895 Germany Aug. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE @ERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTWN Patent N0o 3 071 238 January 1 1963 Kenneth Do Schreyer et alo t error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby certified the d Letters Patent should read as ent req'liring correction and that the sai corrected below a Column 1 line 57 for "12" read 14 column. 41 llnes 11 and 32 strike out on said strandsM Signed and sealed this 1st day of October 1963,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. A MATERIAL FEEDER FOR RECEIVING BATCH LOADINGS OF MATERIAL AND DELIVERING THE SAME AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM RATE OF DISCHARGE, SAID FEEDER INCLUDING A BASE PLATE SUBSTANTIALLY BOUNDED BY HOPPER WALLS DEFINING A CHOKE STATION INTERMEDIATELY OF THE ENDS OF SAID FEEDER, A CONVEYOR DEVICE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID BASE PLATE TO GATHER THE MATERIAL LOADINGS AND TO DELIVER THE MATERIAL AT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE FEEDER, AND A LOAD FLOW CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING A HOOD DEVICE RIGID WITH SAID BASE PLATE AND CLOSELY OVERLYING SAID CONVEYOR DEVICE AND EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF SAID FEEDER, SAID HOOD DEVICE HAVING A MAXIMUM WIDTH IN THE REGION OF SAID CHOKE STATION WHICH IS LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID CONVEYOR DEVICE AND BEING OF LESS THAN SAID MAXIMUM WIDTH IN OTHER REGIONS OF THE CONVEYOR DEVICE SO AS TO LEAVE THE CONVEYOR PATH AT THE INTAKE END OF SAID MACHINE SUBSTANTIALLY UNCOVERED WHILE COVERING SUBSTANTIAL PORTIONS OF THE PATH OF SAID CONVEYOR DEVICE IN THE REGION OF SAID CHOKE STATION. 